Santa in the Pines Final

Here is one block with the paper pieced trees added.  That's all the time I had to do this and still get it to you all in time.  Just click on the picture and it will take you to a PDF with the Paper Piecing Pattern and the final cutting instructions.

Oh, I have to tell you that I had to revise Part 3 & 4.  I had forgotten to add the shoulder pieces that I added as I was sewing them.  They are ok if you have already done them.  I just wanted to add more red.  Anyway go here and here to get the revised patterns.  Sorry for all the confusion on this pattern.  At least I've worked out all the kinks so the Snowmen in the Pines should be a breeze.  I hope!!!

This block is Part 2 of the Snowmen in the Pines version.  No special instructions for this one.  Just have fun!!!!  I will be back in a few days with the next two blocks.

Hope you are all ready for Christmas!!!
Marjory

Santa in the Pines Part 4 and a Surprise!!!

Here is the last applique block for the Santa in the Pines wall hanging. This is the bottom right block.   No special instructions for this block.  I hope you enjoy making these blocks as much as I have had making them. 

I was going to give you the PP piecing pattern and final instructions today, but I was challenged last week by a reader to make these same blocks into snowmen.  What do you think about the same Mini Wall hanging featuring snowmen.  I couldn't resist so here is the first block in the Snowmen in the Pines wall hanging.

This is the top left block.  You will need to add the red strip to the bottom of the block before the snowmen's scarf can be finished.

I will be back early next week with the second block in this wall hanging and the pattern for the trees.  I will also give the final instructions for the Santa in the Pines wall hanging.  

Hope this is a pleasant surprise!!

Marjory

Santa in the Pines Part 3

So today we start with Part 3 of Santa in the Pines.  On this block a third strip of red needs to be added in order to sew down Santa's mustache.  Cut a strip 1 1/2" by 7 7/8".  Sew this strip to the left side of a prepared background block leaving open about 3" on the bottom of the block.  This is the bottom left block.   Just click on the picture and it will take you to a downloadable PDF.

Have Fun!!!!
Marjory 

Santa in the Pines Part 2

I'm Baaack!!!  LOL.  I flew to Memphis on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and all considered it all went well.  Weather was warmer than normal but so was it here.  I had so much fun that when I got back on Sunday evening I went to bed and basically rested all of yesterday.  I'm doing laundry and catching up today.

First thing was to get my files in order for this project.  Second will be to sew the blocks.  I didn't touch a needle all 4 days and didn't miss it.  What I really missed was not having the internet for 4 days, 5 really with all the travel.  I kept telling my son I needed to get online.  I hadn't even printed my flight schedule because I thought I would have access.  But we stayed with the another member of the family and they didn't have access.  We were about 40 miles into Mississippi in the country.  Beautiful country and we really had a good time.

There isn't any special instructions for this block and I've double and triple checked to make sure it will print at the right size.  Just make sure that your printer is set at 100% and not at "Fit to Page".  "Fit to Page" almost always reduces the images even if they are within the printing area.  So just click on the picture of the Santa and it will take you to the PDF file.  

Hope you all had as great a Thanksgiving as I did.

Marjory

Santa in the Pines Update

I have been notified that my PDF file for Part 1 of  the Santa in the Pines pattern is 1/4" too small.  I have now revised the file and everyone that downloads it from now on will get the revised file.  If you downloaded yesterday or earlier today you will need to either enlarge your pattern or redownload the file.  Just click on the picture or click HERE and it will take you to the revised PDF.

I am really sorry about this.  Somehow that file lost weight while sitting in storage. My copies are the right size and they were printed some time ago.  I checked the original and sure enough it was too small.  So it wasn't the conversion to PDF.  I just checked it after conversion and it is still 6.5 inches as it should be. So somehow it lost size in the original drafting program.  I will make sure that the other blocks don't have this problem and will keep checking to make sure it never happens again.  I hope!!!

Keep on Quilting!!
Marjory

Santa in the Pines Wall Hanging Part 1

The Santa in the Pines Pattern giveaway will begin with the top right block in the wallhaning setting.  As you may be able to tell this block has been glued but not sewn.  I hope to keep up with this sewing by the time I need to complete the setting.   Just click on the picture of the Santa to be taken to the free PDF.  This file will also contain a picture of the setting along with the fabric requirements to complete the wallhanging top.

I don't have a mock up of the finish quilt with the Santa's but I do have it without. Each Santa will hang over into the borders to add interest.  If this is something that you don't like you will need to make the center block bigger and you have to redraft the pine trees or adjust the other block inner borders.

I will be flying out to Memphis for Thanksgiving with my son and his family next week so I won't be back for at least two weeks for Part 2.  Hopefully I will have all the blocks ready for applique before I leave and will be able to sew a little while gone.  If you don't hear from me until after I come back:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Marjory

Witches Hat Pincushion Pattern/Tutorial

Last Halloween season I designed and made this pincushion for a swap I was doing on Flickr.  Today I bring the pattern/tutorial to you as a free PDF. Here are the two I made while doing the tutorial. Just click on either picture of the hat and it will take you to the PDF file.

I couldn't resist using beads to decorate at least one of them. 

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!!!

Marjory

Blogger’s Quilt Festival :: Fall 2012

It's that time again, it's time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!  It's a quilt festival online for showing off all our great quilts.  What a fun way to go to a quilt show, in your jammies if you want.  We all link to a post about our quilt on Amy's blog.  Our post is to tell the story behind the quilt.  There are prizes too, but to me it's being able to share my work with a broader range of quilters.  Here's my entry for this festival:  It is machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted. It measures 52" x 52". I would feature it in either Wall Quilts or Art Quilts.

                                               "Mother's Day Off"

Several years ago I was attending a lecture given by a quilt curator from the local museum.  The lecturer was lecturing on what an art quilt was.  She made several references to applique quilts not being "Art".  As an applique artist I took offense to these remarks.  I vowed to make her eat her words.  Now, I don't know if she ever saw my work or ate her words.  I just feel good that I feel I accomplished my goal. 

"Mother's Day Off"  is the third in a series of art quilts based on mothers.  This quilt is 95% dyed and over dyed fabrics.  I was in the middle of designing this quilt when, Adriene Buffington, writer of "Hand Dyed Fabric Made Easy" called and asked me if I could rethink my quilt and use mostly hand dyed fabrics. We were both in a quilt group that traveled to each others studios and helped with works in progress.  They had just been to my studio and I had shared this quilt idea and plan with them.  Adriene was in the middle of writing her book and was looking for hand dyed fabrics made into quilts to fill her book. All quilts being featured in her book had to be 95% hand dyed. The funny part of this story is that I told her I didn't think I could do it.  After thinking it over I decided it would just add a new challenge.  I love challenges!!!!   This quilt did make the final cut and was featured in Adriene's book.  

The lady featured in the quilt is my interpretation of a photo I took in downtown Denver.  She was sitting in the park with a bottle of beer.  Somehow I left out the beer. This was not intentional.  At this time in my life I and my shutter bug friend went to downtown Denver almost every Saturday to take pictures of the characters  there.  After a few months we realized we had become two of those characters.  I now live in Arizona and there is not a great place like Denver for taking pictures of strangers.

This quilt was also featured in "Quilt Art Engagement Calendar '98".  One of the ladies that curates this calendar saw my quilt in a show and contacted me about featuring it in the calendar.  I jumped at the chance. 

Thank you for stopping by;

Marjory

Tempting Thursday of the Wicked Blog Hop

I wish you a Ghostly Welcome to Tempting Thursday of the Wicked Blog Hop Week.   Today is my day to present a block for the "Wicked Blog Hop" along with several others (listed below).  Do I have something wicked to share with you.  Is it Paper Pieced?  Is it pieced?  Is it appliqued?  The answer is yes to all these questions.  That's what makes my block so wicked, three techniques in one block.  Here it is:

Just click on the picture and a link will take you to the PDF file.  The file has the paper pieced patterns, the applique patterns and the cutting directions.  The pattern will finish to a 12" block.  

Have you ever appliqued with organza.  It took some sleepless nights and some rethinking to come up with a way to make sheer ghosts.  Here is the process that I finally used.  

I used paper backed fusible web and traced my templates backward onto the paper side.  I then rough cut out the fusible web, no need to cut on the line until it has been fused to the organza.  Very carefully cut out the center of the fusible web, 1/8" from drawn line.   Place web tacky side down onto wrong side of the organza.  Following manufacturers directions fuse webbing to organza.

Cut ghost out directly on the drawn line.  Using a permanent black marker trace eyes and nose of ghost onto organza.  Do this is several steps to keep the ink from running.  Press with dry iron to set after every application of ink.  If the ink does run it just adds to the ghostly image.  Mine ran.

 Peel off paper and place ghosts onto sewn block following placement picture in pattern.  Again following manufacturers directions fuse organza to block.

Using Glow in the dark white thread and a small open zigzag stitch, stitch around both ghosts.  This small zigzag stitch will cover the fusible web so that it is not seen and gives definition to the ghost.

To further celebrate Tempting Thursday I have one other item to tempt you with.  

A pair of ghostly pincushions.  Just click on their picture and it will take you to the PDF file pattern/tutorial for this ghostly pair.   Don't forget to check out the rest of my blog.  It is full of other wicked projects for Halloween from this year and last. 

I want to thank Mdm Sam and Wicked Wendy for hosting this great Wicked block blog hop.  Check out the links below for the other blocks/blogs being featured today and don't forget to go to either Mdm Sam's or Wicked Wendy's for the full week of blogs to hop to.  Just click on the "Wicked" button to the right to get to Mdm Sam's. 

Tempting Thursday,

October 25^th

Angie’s Quilting and Crafting Place

Just Let Me Quilt

Lady Bug Lane

Debby Kratovil Quilts

Creative Obsessions

Kathy's Quilts

Loose Threads

Sew Maybe I Can

That's Sew Julie

Peck's Pieces

Aurea at That Other Blog

Boo to You!!!!

Marjory

Candy Corn Pincushion

What would the Halloween season be without Candy Corn? Though it's not my favorite candy, I love the shape and color of it.  It just screams, "Halloween", therefore I had to do a pincushion.  It's fun and easy to make.  Just click on the picture and it will take you to the PDF pattern/tutorial.  Have you checked out this wonderfully Wicked blog hop:  

It starts today and will run through the 31st.  I will be featured on the 25th.  I'm all prepared and can't wait to share my block with an added surprise.  Each day there will be a list of blogs to visit.  Each with a Wicked Block to share. To start the blog hop just click the Wicked button on my side bar or the one just above.  I will post my block here on my blog along with a list of that days blogs with links to those blogs.  So come join in the Wicked fun!!!

It's a candy corn day!!

Marjory